3D printing for energy optimization of building envelope - Experimental results.

The building sector is a major contributor to the world's energy consumption, exhibiting an ever-increasing trend. Heat losses through the building envelope constitute the most significant factor. Furthermore, the construction process has seen limited technological advancements in recent years, remaining heavily reliant on manual labor. Additive manufacturing emerges as a promising approach, with applications in the building sector on the rise. However, research on the thermal performance of 3D-printed components remains limited. Despite its recent introduction in the construction industry, 3D printing has yet to attain a level of maturity commensurate with other established methods. This paper aims to reduce this gap by analyzing 3D-printed blocks from a heat transfer perspective. The article introduces two key innovations. Firstly, it explores the design of various internal geometries and air gaps aimed at minimizing heat flux exchange between block surfaces. Secondly, it presents an experimental study conducted with a custom-designed setup tailored for testing 3D printed blocks. The blocks are constructed using recyclable plastic material and feature different internal geometries based on hexagonal cells. While the plan size of the cells remains consistent, their vertical structures vary as follows: 1) Block 1: Hexagonal air cavities without horizontal partitions. 2) Block 2: Hexagonal air cavities with three horizontal partitions, dividing the cells vertically into four parts. 3) Block 3: Honeycomb structure characterized by three horizontal partitions and staggering along the vertical axis. Their performance was experimentally evaluated using the Hot Box method, heat flow meter sensors, and infrared thermography. The results demonstrated reductions of up to 11.5 % in terms of thermal transmittance (U-value) with the inclusion of horizontal partitions. Starting from a U-value of 1.22 ± 0.04 W/m2K (Block 1), a transmittance of 1.08 ± 0.04 W/m2K was achieved for the honeycomb structure with horizontal partitions (Block 3).

Dual mode imaging in mid infrared with thermal signal reconstruction for innovative diagnostics of the "Monocromo" by Leonardo da Vinci.

Dual mode imaging in the mid infrared band, a joint use of thermography and quasi-thermal reflectography, was recently proposed as a full field diagnostic tool in cultural heritage. Here we discuss for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a detailed application of such non destructive technique to the diagnostics of frescoes, with an emphasis on the location of detachments. We also investigate the use of a thermographic method based on TSR (thermal signal reconstruction), in a long pulse stimulus scheme, as well as the spatial registration of thermal images after post-processing analysis to their visible counterpart, so as to obtain a fine resolution diagnostic map. As an exemplar case study, we report about the application of dual mode imaging with a 500 [Formula: see text] pixel size at object plane on the "Monocromo", a fresco by Leonardo da Vinci located in the Sforza Castle (Milan, Italy). Our technique was used to guide the conservators during the restoration works, opening new perspectives in artwork diagnostics.

Searching for a UV-filter in the eyes of high-flying birds.

The eye lens is a unique organ as no cells can be replaced throughout life. This makes it decisive that the lens is protected against damaging UV-radiation. An ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compound of unknown identity is present in the aqueous humor of geese (wild and domestic) and other birds flying at high altitudes. A goose aqueous humor extract, that was believed to contain the UV protective compound which was designated as "compound X", was fractionated and examined using a variety of spectroscopic techniques including LC-MS and high field one- and two dimensional-NMR methods. A series of compounds were identified but none of them appeared to be the UV protective "compound X". It may be that the level of the UV protective compound in goose aqueous humor is much less than the compounds identified in our investigation, or it may have been degraded by the isolation and chromatographic purification protocols used in our investigations.

On Field Infrared Thermography Sensing for PV System Efficiency Assessment: Results and Comparison with Electrical Models.

The evaluation of photovoltaic (PV) system's efficiency loss, due to the onset of faults that reduce the output power, is crucial. The challenge is to speed up the evaluation of electric efficiency by coupling the electric characterization of panels with information gathered from module diagnosis, amongst which the most commonly employed technique is thermographic inspection. The aim of this work is to correlate panels' thermal images with their efficiency: a "thermal signature" of panels can be of help in identifying the fault typology and, moreover, for assessing efficiency loss. This allows to identify electrical power output losses without interrupting the PV system operation thanks to an advanced PV thermography characterization. In this paper, 12 faulted working panels were investigated. Their electrical models were implemented in MATLAB environment and developed to retrieve the ideal I-V characteristic (from ratings), the actual (operative) I-V characteristics and electric efficiency. Given the curves shape and relative difference, based on three reference points (namely, open circuit, short circuit, and maximum power points), faults' typology has been evidenced. Information gathered from infrared thermography imaging, simultaneously carried out on panels during operation, were matched with those from electrical characterization. Panels' "thermal signature" has been coupled with the "electrical signature", to obtain an overall depiction of panels' health status.

A Cost-Effective System for Aerial 3D Thermography of Buildings.

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging and infrared (IR) thermography are powerful tools in many areas in engineering and sciences. Their joint use is of great interest in the buildings sector, allowing inspection and non-destructive testing of elements as well as an evaluation of the energy efficiency. When dealing with large and complex structures, as buildings (particularly historical) generally are, 3D thermography inspection is enhanced by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV-also known as drones). The aim of this paper is to propose a simple and cost-effective system for aerial 3D thermography of buildings. Special attention is thus payed to instrument and reconstruction software choice. After a very brief introduction to IR thermography for buildings and 3D thermography, the system is described. Some experimental results are given to validate the proposal.

Multitarget 1,4-Dioxane Compounds Combining Favorable D2-like and 5-HT1A Receptor Interactions with Potential for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease or Schizophrenia.

The effect of methoxy and hydroxy substitutions in different positions of the phenoxy moiety of the N-((6,6-diphenyl-1,4-dioxan-2-yl)methyl)-2-phenoxyethan-1-amine scaffold on the affinity/activity for D2-like, 5-HT1A, and α1-adrenoceptor subtypes was evaluated. Multitarget compounds with suitable combinations of dopaminergic and serotoninergic profiles were discovered. In particular, the 2-methoxy derivative 3 showed a multitarget combination of 5-HT1A/D4 agonism and D2/D3/5-HT2A antagonism, which may be a favorable profile for the treatment of schizophrenia. Interestingly, the 3-hydroxy derivative 8 behaved as a partial agonist at D2 and as a potent full agonist at D3 and D4 subtypes. In addition to its potent 5-HT1A receptor agonism, such a dopaminergic profile makes 8 a potential multitarget compound for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Indeed, the activation of 5-HT1A receptors might be helpful in reducing dyskinetic side effects associated with dopaminergic stimulation.

The Potential of Optical Profilometry in the Study of Cultural Stone Weathering.

The problem of deterioration of marble or stone monuments on display in the open air was raised in scientific terms around the mid-nineteenth century, correctly sensing the close dependence between the increased speed of surfaces alteration and air pollution. However, only more recently, around the years 1980-1990, emerged a need for quantitative data to assess the degree of degradation and the relative danger in the future projections. Non-destructive techniques can be an important aid in assessing the state of degradation and, above all, its speed, directly on the most important monuments exposed to the urban environment. In this work we discuss some non-destructive techniques able to evaluate the alteration of the surface shape of artefacts exposed to the environment through a non-contact survey of their surface shape. Advantages and disadvantages will be highlighted, as well as the problems still open.

"Blind" targeting in action: From phage display to breast cancer cell targeting with peptide-gold nanoconjugates.

Tumor homing peptides (THPs) specific for a representative breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) were carefully selected basing on a phage-displayed peptide library freely available on the web, namely the "TumorHoPe: A Database of Tumor Homing Peptides". The selected THPs were synthesized and evaluated in terms of their affinity toward MCF-7 cells. Out of 5 tested THPs, 3 best-performing peptide sequences and 1 scrambled sequence were separately conjugated to spherical gold nanoparticles yielding stable nanoconjugates. THP nanoconjugates were examined for their ability to actively target MCF-7 cells in comparison to noncancerous 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. These THP-gold nanoconjugates exhibited good selectivity and binding affinity by flow cytometry, and low cytotoxicity as assayed by cell death experiments. The uptake of targeted nanoconjugates by the breast cancer cells was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. This work demonstrates that it is possible to exploit the conjugation of short peptides selected from phage-displayed libraries to develop nanomaterials reliably endowed with tumor targeting potential irrespective of a specific knowledge of the target cell biology.

Fishing for accessory binding sites at GPCRs with 'loop-hooks' - an approach towards selectivity? Part I.

Receptor-subtype selectivity is an important issue in medicinal chemistry and can become very difficult to achieve if the actual binding pockets of the respective receptors are highly conserved. For such cases, known unselective ligands could be equipped with a spacer that sticks outside the actual orthosteric binding pocket towards the extracellular loops. The end of the spacer bears certain functional groups to enable specific or unspecific interactions with the receptor residues outside the binding cavity. Our experiments indicated that it is possible to achieve selectivity within the dopamine D1 family with such 'loop-hooks'.

New flurbiprofen derivatives: synthesis, membrane affinity and evaluation of in vitro effect on ß-amyloid levels.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by irreversible and progressive loss of memory and cognition and profound neuronal loss. Current therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AD have been directed to a variety of targets with the aim of reversing or preventing the disease but, unfortunately, the available treatments often produce no significant clinical benefits. During the last decades compounds that inhibit or modulate γ-secretase, reducing ß amyloid (Aß) levels, have been considered as potential therapeutics for AD. Among these the (R)-enantiomer of flurbiprofen (FLU) seems to be very promising, but it shows low brain penetration. In this study, in order to improve the properties of FLU against Alzheimer's pathogenesis we synthesized some novel FLU lipophilic analogues. Lipophilicity of the new molecules has been characterized in terms of clogP, log K(C18/W) and log K(IAM/W) values. Permeability has been determined in both gastrointestinal PAMPA (PAMPA-GI) at different pH values and in brain blood barrier PAMPA (PAMPA-BBB) models. They were also tested for their ability to inhibit in vitro γ-secretase activity using rat CTXTNA2 astrocytes. Interestingly, the investigated molecules demonstrated to reduce Aß 42 levels without affecting the amyloid precursor protein APP level in a clear concentrations-dependent manner.

Thermal Quasi-Reflectography: a new imaging tool in art conservation.

In the artwork conservation field, non contact diagnostic and imaging methods are widely used and most welcomed. In this work a new imaging tool, called Thermal Quasi-Reflectography (TQR), is proposed and demonstrated. It is based on the recording, by suitable procedures, of reflected infrared radiation in the MWIR band (3-5 µm). The technique, simple to perform, can provide very interesting results in the analysis of the painting surfaces. TQR was demonstrated in situ on two famous artworks: the Zavattari's frescos in the Chapel of Theodelinda (Italy) and the masterpiece by Piero della Francesca "The Resurrection" (Italy).

Synthesis of novel 4-aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines as probes for dopamine receptor ligands.

Dopamine (DA) agonists, bearing catechol or phenol rings, are endowed with low oral bioavailability and short effect duration. In this report, the synthesis of novel differently substituted 4-(3-pyridyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines and (1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-4-yl)phenylmethanols as potential non phenolic and non catecholic DA receptor ligands is reported. The new compounds, evaluated by binding tests on cerebral striatal membranes, bound to DA receptors with moderate affinity. Anyhow, they may represent a starting point to develop new DA ligands endowed with better pharmacokinetic and metabolic properties.

Novel imidazoline compounds as partial or full agonists of D2-like dopamine receptors inspired by I2-imidazoline binding sites ligand 2-BFI.

Based on the well known biological versatility of the imidazoline nucleus, we prepared the novel derivatives 3a-k inspired by 2-BFI scaffold to assess imidazoline molecules as D(2)-like dopamine receptor ligands. Conservative chemical modifications of the lead structure, such as the introduction of an hydroxy group in the aromatic ring alone or associated with N-benzyl substitution, provided partial (3f) or nearly full (3e and 3h) agonists, all endowed with D(2)-like potency comparable to that of dopamine.

Conference report: trekking through receptor chemistry.

The series of Camerino Symposia present the most recent knowledge and discoveries in the growing field of drug-receptor interactions and the design and mechanisms of drug action. Lead discovery, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and polypharmacology were the general subjects covered in this Tripartite European Meeting in Medicinal Chemistry chaired by Mario Giannella (University of Camerino, Italy). Specifically, the meeting focused on the selection criteria and application of computational methods and stem cell technology in/to lead discovery, as well as providing an update on targeting GPCRs. In addition, the importance of polypharmacology in drug discovery for many GPCRs was widely highlighted. Approximately 110 participants in an international audience composed principally of chemists, biochemists and pharmacologists spent the 5 days of the conference in the eye-catching medieval setting of the University of Camerino and enjoyed both the scientific and cultural programs.

Low-cost optoelectronic system for three-dimensional artwork texture measurement.

A new optoelectronic system based on a projection unit in which light, coming from a laser diode coupled to an optic fiber impinges on a diffractive optical element (DOE) to produce sinusoidal fringes is proposed for three-dimensional (3-D) texture measurement. If the projected fringe pattern is viewed at an angle different from the projection angle, the fringe profile is phase-modulated by the 3-D object shape. The 3-D map information is obtained with the aid of a fringe analyzer based on phase-shifting synthetic moiré pattern, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), signal demodulation techniques and a robust and fast phase unwrapping performed by a specially developed software. The proposed system is based on a simple and low cost equipment; furthermore, it is suitable for in situ measurements also by nonskilled operators. Some experimental examples illustrate its performance.